Charging/discharging batteries, and Intelligent flight batteries

Charging procedures for batteries;

Any batteries charged in your workplace should always be charged with the appropriate charger. Damaged batteries should never be charged. Common ways to know if a battery is not safe is if it is swollen or has any damage to its casing.

Discharging procedures for batteries;

Most operators will be using intelligent flight batteries which discharge to a safe storage level after a pre-determined time period which can be changed in the flight controller software.

Intelligent flight Batteries;

The “Intelligent” aspect of the battery enables communication that not only shows current capacity inside the app itself, it also calculates remaining flight times according to distance travelled and other factors. An internal battery management system prevents overcharging and over-draining, and when placed in long-term storage, the battery will self-discharge to a safe level in order to maintain cell health.

The 80/20 rule;

There is an 80/20 rule in regard to batteries. When the drone is operating it should never be operated when the battery power is at less than 20%. Also, when operations commence flights they should only do so if the battery is powered to more than 80%.

General battery safety tips

Always make sure batteries are stored in a safe place. It is a good idea to have a bucket of sand in easy reach to deal with any potential fires as a result of battery malfunction.